Blagojevich proposes expanded 'pay-to-play' reforms

Ryan Keith

Tuesday

Aug 26, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 26, 2008 at 9:23 PM

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Monday he’s following through on his promise to “rock the system” by drastically changing an ethics-reform measure to target lawmakers while cracking down on campaign contributors with large state contracts.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Monday he’s following through on his promise to “rock the system” by drastically changing an ethics-reform measure to target lawmakers while cracking down on campaign contributors with large state contracts.

Blagojevich, at a news conference in Chicago, said he’ll use both his executive-order and amendatory-veto power to rewrite the measure the legislature sent him in May.

The announcement drew an immediate rebuke from reform advocates and lawmakers, who promised to try to overturn the changes.

The first stop is the House, where the measure’s chief sponsor predicted the governor’s proposals will be overridden.

“The amendatory-veto tool was never intended to let the governor become a one-man legislature. That seems to be lost on this governor,” said Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago.

The original bill barred people with state contracts of $50,000 or more from giving campaign contributions to the officeholder who oversees the contracts. It was designed to curb the influence of “pay-to-play” politics — a charge regularly lobbed at Blagojevich for taking large donations from contractors.

The governor responded Monday by turning the narrowly focused measure into a broader reform attempt.

“The system in state government today is one that works for itself at the expense of the people. It’s one that we’ve been working to change … The changes that I’m proposing today will do that,” Blagojevich said.

He said he’s issuing an executive order implementing the contribution ban for all agencies under his control Jan. 1 and continuing his “Rewrite to Do Right” mantra by broadening who and what is covered.

The new version will apply the contributor ban to all statewide officials, including lawmakers and state political parties.

The governor’s amended legislation also will require lawmakers to cast a vote to receive a pay raise — the hikes take effect now unless they vote to rescind them — bar legislators from working most types of other state and local government jobs, and require them to better disclose outside lobbying work done by them or their spouses.

“By applying it to all of us, we will have taken the bill that was passed by the legislature and made it better, make it stronger and make it more meaningful and more widespread,” Blagojevich said.

The governor has promised for months he would change the measure. Fritchey and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform say the changes Blagojevich outlined Monday meet their fears that he is simply trying to kill the much-needed measure by throwing so much more into it.

Fritchey said he will move to override the governor’s veto and should get the 71 votes needed to send it to the Senate, which is also controlled by the Democrats. Fritchey said he’ll then push separate pieces of legislation to help the governor pass his other ideas without tying up the contractor ban.

“The governor’s approach to ending pay-to-play has been one of denial and misdirection. His latest action is no different,” Fritchey said. “It is not my intention for my colleagues to be caught up in political gamesmanship by the governor.”

Cindi Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said it’s obvious the governor doesn’t want to give up the millions of dollars he’s taken from state contractors.

“Will it be seen as an attempt to further the dialogue on ethics in this state or a jab in a bunch of people’s eyes?” Canary said of Blagojevich’s proposed changes. “I don’t think it’s going to get better from all of this. It’s a real question what this is supposed to do.”

Both Fritchey and Canary noted lawmakers don’t have a say in who receives state contracts, so the contractor ban shouldn’t apply to them, and both criticized the executive order as a way for Blagojevich to skirt tougher penalties on taking cash from barred contributors that is included in the original measure.

Any override will need support in the Senate, where President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, is Blagojevich’s closest ally. If lawmakers don’t vote to support the changes or can’t muster enough votes to override in both chambers, both the governor’s changes and the original bill will die.

Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said he needed to review Blagojevich’s proposal, but he could see lawmakers sticking with the narrow scope of what they approved this spring.

“For the governor to offer these suggestions on a single up-or-down vote may be premature,” Harmon said.

Ryan Keith can be reached at (217) 788-1518.

A tale of two proposals

Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Monday he’s significantly expanding an ethics package lawmakers sent him this spring. Here is a look at the differences between the two versions, as outlined in documents provided by the governor’s office:

Lawmakers’ version

- Bar people with state contracts worth $50,000 or more from making campaign contributions to statewide officeholders who oversee the contracts.

Blagojevich’s version

- Apply that contractor-donation ban to all statewide officeholders, state lawmakers, candidates for those offices and state political parties.

- Through executive order, apply the ban to all agencies under the governor’s control starting Jan. 1.

- Require legislators to vote for a pay raise to receive one, rather than receiving it automatically unless they vote to reject it.

- Prevent lawmakers from holding other state or local government jobs, excluding teachers, school counselors, university instructors, police and firefighters and elected officials.

- Make lawmakers and their spouses disclose lobbying activity they do before boards, commissions and local government bodies.